Netflix To See New(er) Release Streaming From Paramount, Lionsgate And MGM

The Netflix value proposal just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. It's nice enough that any customer with a $9/month or larger by-mail DVD plan can stream unlimited content from the company's Watch Instantly library, but now that library is about to get a huge boost. One of the main complaints about Netflix's instant streaming service is the lack of new releases, but a fresh deal with EPIX may be the first major step in hushing those gripes.

EPIX is a company you probably haven't heard of, but they have subscription pay TV rights to new releases and movies from the libraries of its partners. Those partners include Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM, which you most definitely have heard of it. Starting on September 1st, movies from a new multi-year deal will begin streaming to Netflix subscribers, meaning that movies could hit those pipes just a few months after their theatrical release.

This step alone is huge, but the precedent it sets is even bigger. Now that Netflix has convinced these major studios to give up their content for streaming earlier, there's a much better chance that the rest of the movie studies will follow their lead shortly. Blockbuster may have just come out swinging with a free by-mail video game service, but it'll be hard to beat new release movie streaming for no extra cost compared to what Netflix users were paying before.

NEW YORK & BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EPIX™ and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced an agreement through which Netflix members can instantly watch an array of new releases and library titles from EPIX streamed over the Internet from Netflix. Movies from the multi-year deal will begin streaming from Netflix on September 1 and include movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM.

“The EPIX deal is an example of the innovative ways in which we’re partnering with major content providers to broaden the scope and freshness of choices available to our members to watch instantly over the Internet.”

EPIX has subscription pay TV rights to new releases and movies from the libraries of its partners and will make these movies available to Netflix 90 days after their premium pay TV and subscription on demand debuts. Historically, the rights to distribute these films are pre-sold to pay TV for as long as nine years after their theatrical release.

For Netflix, the agreement is a significant step in building the company’s streaming offer, adding many popular movie titles from some of the world’s leading studios. It adds meaningfully to a growing library of movies and TV shows that can be watched instantly on TVs via a range of leading consumer electronic devices capable of streaming from Netflix and on computers.

For EPIX, the deal reflects the value of the EPIX platform which, from its start, has provided new rights and flexibility for the distribution of its movies. The agreement allows EPIX to continue the distribution of popular content on a variety of platforms and preserve the premium television, subscription on demand and online window reserved for cable, satellite and telco television partners.

"Adding EPIX to our growing library of streaming content, as the exclusive Internet-only distributor of this great content, marks the continued emergence of Netflix as a leader in entertainment delivered over the Web,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. "The EPIX deal is an example of the innovative ways in which we’re partnering with major content providers to broaden the scope and freshness of choices available to our members to watch instantly over the Internet.”

Mark Greenberg, president of EPIX, added: “Netflix is an incredibly popular service and we welcome them as our newest distribution partner. We are pleased to be able to continue our mission of bringing consumers the movies where they want to watch them, while satisfying the differing needs of cable, telco and satellite operators. This deal also underscores the tremendous value of our offerings in the marketplace.”